Linkle 1

Update: Thanks to @HistoryofHyrule, we now have a much clearer look at the mysterious female Link spotted in the 1986 issue of Shonen Captain. Further details on the image's origins can be found in our original article below.


Original Article (Tue 2nd Apr, 2019 04:30 BST): Back in 2015, The Legend of Zelda fanbase went wild when Koei Tecmo confirmed a female version of Link would be added to Hyrule Warriors Legends. As official as 'Linkle' was, she might not have necessarily been the first female version of the iconic character.

Twitter account Kazzykazycom recently highlighted an incredibly old issue of the Japanese magazine Shonen Captain, dating back to 1986 – the same year as the release of the original Legend of Zelda game on the Famicom. As you can see above and below, the artwork in it depicts Link as a female with red hair. This is believed to be a mistake on the magazine's behalf.

Linkle 2
Linkle 3
Linkle 5

Even if it isn't faithful to the source material, we have to admit, it's rather lovely artwork.

Would you like to see Linkle return to a Zelda game in the future? Tell us down below.

[source twitter.com]